A case of the whooping cough has been confirmed at Caledonia Junior High School in Dartmouth.

In an email to our newsroom through Nova Scotia Health, Dr. Jonathan Ross, Associate Regional Medical Officer of Health says they have worked with the individual and the school to identify and contact those who are considered close contacts.

“Letters were sent to specific classes and activities where there may have been exposure to the virus,” says the health authority.

However, at this time, Ross says no new cases have been identified.

Whooping cough, otherwise known as pertussis, can be prevented by getting vaccinated and the risk of school-aged children as well as adults becoming seriously ill, is low.

“When older children or adults get the disease, they often have milder symptoms,” says Ross.

However, whooping cough can be most dangerous for babies who are too young to get the vaccine and are at higher risk for severe illness.

It can begin as a mild cold with a runny nose or congestion, sneezing, mild cough or fever that typically lasts one or two weeks.

The cough can then get progressively worse with these symptoms.

Symptoms include:

• a deep rapid coughing and a “whoop”
• vomiting after coughing
• coughing is worse at night
• apnea (periods of not breathing) in babies

These symptoms can start about ten days after exposure but could take up to 20 days to appear and last for six to 10 weeks.